AGI helps provide online Santa tracking

WEST WHITELAND — Analytical Graphics Inc., or AGI, and the North American Aerospace Defense Command, commonly known as NORAD, have teamed up to help children keep an eye on Santa.

Beginning Dec. 24 at 2 a.m. EST, visitors to the NORAD Tracks Santa site, www.noradsanta.org, can use 2D and 3D tracking maps created by AGI — known as Santa Trackers — to watch Santa as he makes his annual journey around the world.

Last year the website had 19 million visitors.

AGI, which delivers software applications and development tools for development and deployment of space, defense and intelligence missions, has worked with NORAD on the Santa tracking project since 1997.

Based in the Valley Creek Corporate Center, AGI products are used for modeling, engineering and operations in the areas of space, cyberspace, aircraft, missile defense, C4ISR and electronic systems.

Clicking on video icons will play videos of locations where Santa was spotted by NORAD’s special “Santa Cams,” and clicking on other icons tells users more about the location selected.

As always, Santa’s journey begins at the North Pole, after which he heads west from the International Date Line, making stops only when children are in bed.

Special “Santa Cams” that NORAD stations around the globe stream video of Old St. Nick as he passes famous landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower and the Great Wall of China.

This year, the site will be hosted by Microsoft on Windows Azure, and, as in years past, tracking opportunities will be offered on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Google+.

Santa followers just need to type “noradsanta” into each search engine to get started.

The website is available in eight languages: English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese and Chinese.

Visitors can talk to a live operator to inquire about Santa’s whereabouts beginning Dec. 24 at 6 a.m. EST by dialing 1-877-HI-NORAD (1-877-446-6723) or by sending an e-mail to noradtrackssanta@outlook.com.

Between now and Dec. 24, visit www.noradsanta.org where NORAD provides countdown activities for kids of all ages. They are also offering free apps from the Apple Store, Google Play and Windows Market to extend the fun.

Learn more about the history of the program and AGI’s involvement in it at www.agi.com/santa and blogs.agi.com.

To ensure that your computer supports 3D, see http://cesium.agi.com/tracksanta.html for system requirements.

If your computer doesn’t meet the requirements, a 2D tracker with the same information-gathering features will let you watch Santa. The 3D tracker uses Cesium, http://cesium.agi.com/, an open-source virtual globe founded by AGI; the 2D tracker was built with Bing Maps.